“As artists we are all profoundly engaged in our mutual practices, yet the water gathers us into a single pool, thus I invite you to stand on the bridge, as we consider contested sites of memory and monuments. Please join us on March 21, 2025.”
—Carrie Mae Weems
How might we understand the stakes of the dialogue and debate around monuments and the sites they commemorate? How do we negotiate among multiple—often conflicting—narratives and the way they show up in public space? And is disagreement crucial to transformation? Join us for Monumental Concerns, a gathering convened by acclaimed interdisciplinary artist Carrie Mae Weems.
This daylong program (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) will bring together a rich array of artists, poets, scholars, activists, and theorists to explore the rocky terrain of contested sites of memory and monuments. Its aim, in offering an evocative examination of the politics of disagreement, is to help us collectively create a framework for moving towards a sense of belonging for all. The convening will conclude with Defiant Life, a musical performance by composer-pianist Vijay Iyer and composer-trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. The schedule of the day, speaker bios, and suggested readings can be in the event’s Program (see sidebar).
Monumental Concerns is free and open to the public. The event is at capacity. Registration and waitlist are closed. There will be no walk-ins.
We are delighted to be joined by a group of extraordinary artists and thinkers:
Leah Dickerman, art historian and Director, Research Programs, MoMA
Paul M. Farber, curator and Director, Monument Lab
Karin Goodfellow, Director, Transformative Art and Monuments, City of Boston
Sherrilyn Ifill, lawyer and Founder, 14th Amendment Center for Law and Democracy, Howard University
Vijay Iyer, composer and pianist
Delali Kumavie, Assistant Professor of English, Syracuse University
Thomas (T.) Jean Lax, Curator, Department of Media and Performance, MoMA
Roeshana Moore-Evans, founder and principal strategist, Equity Empowerment Consulting
Eto Otitigbe, artist and Associate Professor of Art, Brooklyn College, City University of New York
Kendall R. Phillips, Director, Lender Center for Social Justice, Syracuse University
Tim Phillips, Founder, Beyond Conflict
Samora Pinderhughes, composer and 2025 Adobe Creative Resident, MoMA
Carl Hancock Rux, poet and playwright
Timothy W. Ryback, historian and Director, Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation
Wadada Leo Smith, composer and trumpeter
Bryan Stevenson, lawyer and founder, Equal Justice Initiative
Carrie Mae Weems, visual artist
Mabel O. Wilson, architect and Nancy and George Rupp Professor of Architecture Planning and Preservation, Columbia University
Christina Zhang, Assistant Professor of Art, Architecture, and Design, Lehigh University
Melissa Yuen, Curator, Syracuse University Art Museum
Monumental Concerns is co-organized by Syracuse University and The Museum of Modern Art.